(NaturalNews) A recent case study reported in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research suggests that chiropractic adjustments can help reverse and prevent heart disease.

Man's heart health changed by chiropractic

According to the case study, a 54-year-old man undergoing chiropractic care experienced normalization of his lipid panel following six months of chiropractic adjustments. Fascinatingly, no other interventions (i.e., diet or exercise modifications) were implemented within this time period.

The patient first came into the chiropractor's office with a chief complaint of high cholesterol and was taking more than 10 medications to manage his condition. With a past history of heart attack and angioplasty, he was considered "high risk." One month prior to initiating chiropractic care, he had a lipid panel drawn indicating abnormal levels of cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides. According to an interview with the patient on YouTube, he heard that chiropractic could help lower cholesterol and gave it a try, because he wanted to get off of his prescription meds.

Natural health experts speak out

According to Dr. Nate Blume, the attending chiropractor, "Research is revealing that minor disturbances to spinal alignment and function may be a factor in a number of disorders. These spinal disturbances lead to nerve interference and can result in a host of disorders because the body's homeostatic mechanism is thrown off."

"It makes a lot of sense when you think about it," stated Dr. Matthew McCoy, a chiropractor, public health researcher and editor of the journal that published the study. "If you damage or compress or otherwise interfere with the neurological structures in the spine this can have far reaching implications on the functioning of the body. Through research reports like this we are finding that correcting the misalignments or abnormal motion associated with these spinal problems reduces the nerve interference and people experience improvement. In this study it was a man who had risk factors for cardiovascular disease."

Vertebral subluxation

"Finding the cause of the cardiovascular disease and reducing those risks is a much better strategy," according to the study. One such risk is thought to be spinal misalignments and/or abnormal motion of the spine, termed "vertebral subluxations" by chiropractors, which result in structural and neurological interference to the spine and nervous system. It is this interference that may cause a cascade of neuroendocrine events that lead to abnormal cholesterol metabolism. The theory is that, once those spinal distortions are corrected, the body is better able to balance its physiology.

The chiropractor diagnosed the patient with vertebral subluxations in his neck, pelvis and sacrum. Follow-up laboratory work revealed that his cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides had all improved, and he reported an improvement in his mental and physical health, and his musculoskeletal complaints had resolved. The authors call for further study in a controlled environment.

Not surprisingly, other researchers have found similar results in regard to heart disease risk factors being managed by chiropractic adjustments, and this case is one of several emerging studies describing this phenomena. The most notable was published in the Journal of Human Hypertension. The 100-person pilot study made national headlines and was even aired on Good Morning America, because the results, proving that one upper cervical chiropractic adjustment has the same effect as two pills designed to normalize blood pressure, were groundbreaking.

About the author:Eric L. Zielinski, DC (c), MPH (c) has devoted his life to natural health and wellness for over a decade. Inspired by the timeless principles in the Bible, Eric's mission is to seek out ways to provide people with simple, evidenced-based tools that they need to achieve the Abundant Life. Formally trained as a chiropractor, Eric's primary approach is to serve his patients and clients through natural health care, nutrition counseling, spiritual mentorship, and empowering life strategies!

Eric is available for long distance consultations and wellness coaching to help YOU reach your health goals. For more information click here or visit his website www.DrEricZ.com.